Gaming Guru

G2E Institute

The organizers of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) recently announced the creation of a new "G2E Institute," to be an educational conference with interactive, workshop-style sessions focused on four specific gaming industry sectors. The event will combine G2E's existing Casino Design and Racino events with the recently acquired Gaming & Technology Conference, and will incorporate a new series of seminars addressing developments and growth opportunities in tribal gaming. The inaugural G2E Institute will be held at the Red Rock Resort, Spa & Casino in Las Vegas May 9-11, 2006.

The new event will provide a unique, tailored and intimate educational platform where industry professionals can learn the latest trends in key industry growth areas, as well as how those areas interact with one another in the casino setting. With its workshop-style educational format, the event will also foster enhanced networking between attendees and the industry experts who will lead and present the conference sessions. Differing from the trade show and conference format of the fall G2E exhibition, the education-centered G2E Institute is intentionally scheduled six months from its November counterpart to provide the gaming community more timely access to the most up-to-date information driving industry growth.

"Casino Design and Racino were initially created in response to the tremendous amount of interest shown in these burgeoning sectors," said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA). "Uniting these events under G23 Institute, while also leveraging significant growth areas such as tribal gaming and technology-driven advancements, enables us to provide a unique, interactive forum for our attendees to explore some of the industry's top growth performers, and to help facilitate a better understanding of the relationships between them."

According to the AGA, the topics for the G2E Institute will evolve each year to reflect the hottest sectors in the gaming entertainment industry. The latest trends in casino architecture, construction, design and development; property revitalization for racinos; legislative updates and management trends in tribal operations; and new technology innovations will be just a few of the topics addressed in the educational material presented at the inaugural conference. Some of the participating gaming product suppliers will also select tabletop product exhibits in conjunction with the event.

In addition to its distinctive educational content, another important aspect of G2E Institute will be its locations, as it rotates each year to a new or unique gaming resort setting, both in the commercial and Native American sectors. Attendees will have the opportunity to see first-hand the design, layout, management and operation of these cutting-edge properties by participating in full property tours offered in conjunction with the conference event.

The technology content of the new G2E Institute will be derived from the Gaming & Technology Conference, which G2E recently acquired from Spectrum Gaming Group, LLC. The Institute will build upon the foundation laid by the Gaming & Technology Conference by continuing to feature the latest in technology innovation and advancement for all aspects of the gaming industry, particularly emphasizing efficiency and consumer service, in its focused sessions.

"The Gaming & Technology Conference was designed to cast a spotlight on current and future trends in gaming technology, and we are proud of how far we've taken it," said Michael Pollock, managing director at Spectrum Gaming Group and editor and publisher of Michael Pollock's Gaming Industry Observer. "We are pleased that G2E's acquisition of the conference will take it to an even higher level, affording gaming professionals from a number of diverse disciplines an essential education on the technology trends driving the industry and an exclusive vantage point on the future of gaming technology that cannot be found anywhere else."

"G2E Institute allows us to gather at one tailored educational forum the leading experts from these important segments that continue to drive the industry, while guaranteeing us the flexibility to add new areas of focus as industry interests evolve," said Courtney Muller, show manager and industry vice present of G2E at Reed Exhibitions. "The unique value of this conference is that it offers in-depth analysis of specialized industry sectors as well as a broader examination of how interactions and synergies between these key areas will affect the industry now and in the future."

The AGA and Reed Exhibitions have done a wonderful job with their conferences in the past, and continue to bring the industry the type of cutting-edge education that is necessary for such a fast paced industry.

David Waddell is an attorney for Regulatory Management Counselors, P.C. (RMC), which assists businesses in navigating the legislative, regulatory and licensing systems governing Michigan’s commercial and tribal casino industries. He is the co-author of The State of Michigan Gaming Law Legal Resource Book and one of the founders of The Michigan Gaming Newsletter.

David Waddell Websites:

David Waddell is an attorney for Regulatory Management Counselors, P.C. (RMC), which assists businesses in navigating the legislative, regulatory and licensing systems governing Michigan’s commercial and tribal casino industries. He is the co-author of The State of Michigan Gaming Law Legal Resource Book and one of the founders of The Michigan Gaming Newsletter.

David Waddell Websites:

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